Nagrik Adhikar Manch submitted a memorandum to Bihar Police chief K.S. Dwivedi here and said they were living under constant fear.
"Since the RTI Act came into force in 2005, 14 activists, including four in the last six months, have been killed in Bihar. It is a matter of serious concern and the government should take note of it," said RTI activist Shiv Prakash Rai.
Rai said they had demanded the arrest of all those behind the murder of the 14 RTI activists. "Not a single accused has been arrested so far. It has left us disappointed... and has boosted the confidence of corrupt government officials," he said.
Another activist Mahender Yadav said: "It is a bad phase for RTI activists in Bihar as anything can happen to them. They may be eliminated, thanks to powerful nexus of mafia engaged in development schemes and construction works with politicians, government officers and criminals."
Activist Valmiki Yadav and his friend Karu Yadav were shot dead on June 30 by unidentified assailants in Jamui district. Yadav is said to have exposed several rackets and financial irregularities in the public welfare schemes and developmental works in the district.

Citing threats to life, a panel RTI activists in Bihar on Friday demanded security cover and the arrest of those involved in the killing of four of their associates in the last six months.
Nagrik Adhikar Manch submitted a memorandum to Bihar Police chief K.S. Dwivedi here and said they were living under constant fear.
"Since the RTI Act came into force in 2005, 14 activists, including four in the last six months, have been killed in Bihar. It is a matter of serious concern and the government should take note of it," said RTI activist Shiv Prakash Rai.
Rai said they had demanded the arrest of all those behind the murder of the 14 RTI activists. "Not a single accused has been arrested so far. It has left us disappointed... and has boosted the confidence of corrupt government officials," he said.
Another activist Mahender Yadav said: "It is a bad phase for RTI activists in Bihar as anything can happen to them. They may be eliminated, thanks to powerful nexus of mafia engaged in development schemes and construction works with politicians, government officers and criminals."
Activist Valmiki Yadav and his friend Karu Yadav were shot dead on June 30 by unidentified assailants in Jamui district. Yadav is said to have exposed several rackets and financial irregularities in the public welfare schemes and developmental works in the district.
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According to the commission's advocate, Shivang Shukla, an advocate, Kamlesh Bhavsar, had in 2007 sought information regarding appointment of judges to the Gujarat judiciary since 1990. The PIO supplied information regarding corruption charges against judicial officers and about their convictions within the time limit.
However, the PIO refused to supply information on Bhavsar's request to furnish the names of all the judges - from the rank of judicial magistrate first class in the lower courts to the justices of the high court - appointed between 1990 and 2007. The PIO told the lawyer that he has asked for the information from the branches concernedand collating the details would take more time. He said he would supply information about the appointments as and when he got the details.
On the PIO's refusal to part with the information at the same time, citing the delay in collating the details, Bhavsar filed an appeal before the state information commission, seeking a reply from the HC PIO about the applicant's grievance. In reply to commission's query, the HC's PIO explained his position and sent the details that had been collated to the commission, for it to supply to the lawyer. The PIO sent the information to the commission and requested it to supply the details to advocate Bhavsar, if it thought it fit.
The commission ordered the HC PIO to supply the information to the lawyer. This did not go down well with the HC authorities and the registry challenged the commission's order on the judicial side in 2011. The HC last week dismissed its own petition.
While directing the PIO to supply the information to the lawyer under RTE laws, Justice A J Desai dismissed the petition filed by the high court itself, in which it had challenged the directions issued to the HC by the Gujarat Information Commission, for furnishing the required information to the lawyer.

Eleven years after a lawyer sought details under the Right to Information Act from the Gujarat high court, the HC directed its public information officer (PIO) to furnish the details to the applicant.
According to the commission's advocate, Shivang Shukla, an advocate, Kamlesh Bhavsar, had in 2007 sought information regarding appointment of judges to the Gujarat judiciary since 1990. The PIO supplied information regarding corruption charges against judicial officers and about their convictions within the time limit.
However, the PIO refused to supply information on Bhavsar's request to furnish the names of all the judges - from the rank of judicial magistrate first class in the lower courts to the justices of the high court - appointed between 1990 and 2007. The PIO told the lawyer that he has asked for the information from the branches concernedand collating the details would take more time. He said he would supply information about the appointments as and when he got the details.
On the PIO's refusal to part with the information at the same time, citing the delay in collating the details, Bhavsar filed an appeal before the state information commission, seeking a reply from the HC PIO about the applicant's grievance. In reply to commission's query, the HC's PIO explained his position and sent the details that had been collated to the commission, for it to supply to the lawyer. The PIO sent the information to the commission and requested it to supply the details to advocate Bhavsar, if it thought it fit.
The commission ordered the HC PIO to supply the information to the lawyer. This did not go down well with the HC authorities and the registry challenged the commission's order on the judicial side in 2011. The HC last week dismissed its own petition.
While directing the PIO to supply the information to the lawyer under RTE laws, Justice A J Desai dismissed the petition filed by the high court itself, in which it had challenged the directions issued to the HC by the Gujarat Information Commission, for furnishing the required information to the lawyer.
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RTI activist Valmiki Yadav (40) and associate Dhramendra Yadav (34) were shot near their village Bichwe around 7 pm, The Times of India quoted Jamui SDPO Rampukar Singh as saying. Officials said that the accused first attacked the victims with rods and sticks before shooting them.
Yadav is said to have exposed several rackets and financial irregularities in the public welfare schemes and developmental works in the district.
This is the third such incident of violent crime against RTI activists in the state in the past three months. On 20 June, 65-year-old RTI activist, Rajendra Singh, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in East Champaran district. A resident of Rajpur village, Singh was returning from Kutchery in Motihari at night when unidentified persons sprayed bullets on him.
He died on the way to the hospital.
Singh had exposed several discrepancies in the Indira Awas Yojana, teachers' appointment and Life Insurance Corporation.
In April, two unidentified gunmen shot dead RTI activist Jayant Kumar in Bihar's Vaishali district. The assailants fled the scene on a bike immediately after the incident.

A Right To Information (RTI) activist and his associate were shot dead by four unidentified men on Sunday night in Jamui district, Bihar, reports said. It is reportedly the third such incident in the state in the last three months.
RTI activist Valmiki Yadav (40) and associate Dhramendra Yadav (34) were shot near their village Bichwe around 7 pm, The Times of India quoted Jamui SDPO Rampukar Singh as saying. Officials said that the accused first attacked the victims with rods and sticks before shooting them.
Yadav is said to have exposed several rackets and financial irregularities in the public welfare schemes and developmental works in the district.
This is the third such incident of violent crime against RTI activists in the state in the past three months. On 20 June, 65-year-old RTI activist, Rajendra Singh, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in East Champaran district. A resident of Rajpur village, Singh was returning from Kutchery in Motihari at night when unidentified persons sprayed bullets on him.
He died on the way to the hospital.
Singh had exposed several discrepancies in the Indira Awas Yojana, teachers' appointment and Life Insurance Corporation.
In April, two unidentified gunmen shot dead RTI activist Jayant Kumar in Bihar's Vaishali district. The assailants fled the scene on a bike immediately after the incident.
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The sarpanch of Pipli village in Sonepat district allegedly shot dead a 24-year-old man on Sunday night, reportedly over suspicion that he had sought details against him through an RTI application
The deceased, identified as Ashish Dahiya, was killed when he along with his cousin were working out in a gym near his village.
This was the second attack by sarpanch Ram Nivas within last one month on persons he suspected to have filed the RTI application. Earlier on June 12, a 35-year-old man identified as Ramavtar Singh was shot at by the sarpanch, but he survived the attack and is currently undergoing treatment at PGIMS in Rohtak.
courtesy : hindustantimes.com

The sarpanch of Pipli village in Sonepat district allegedly shot dead a 24-year-old man on Sunday night, reportedly over suspicion that he had sought details against him through an RTI application
The sarpanch of Pipli village in Sonepat district allegedly shot dead a 24-year-old man on Sunday night, reportedly over suspicion that he had sought details against him through an RTI application
The deceased, identified as Ashish Dahiya, was killed when he along with his cousin were working out in a gym near his village.
This was the second attack by sarpanch Ram Nivas within last one month on persons he suspected to have filed the RTI application. Earlier on June 12, a 35-year-old man identified as Ramavtar Singh was shot at by the sarpanch, but he survived the attack and is currently undergoing treatment at PGIMS in Rohtak.
courtesy : hindustantimes.com
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31 persons who were honoured with the Padmas by the Narendra Modi government in 2018, did not have any recommendation. This clearly reinforces the fact that Padma awards are a result of political decisions of the ruling dispensation, said RTI activists.
Analysis of the data of the ministry of home affairs (MHA) revealed that only 4 of the 51 recommended by the search committee were awarded the Padma in 2018. Other recommendations of the search committee, appointed by the Centre, were ignored. It was also found that of the 84 awardees, 31 of them did not get any recommendation on the centralised web portal, where citizens recommend individuals for awards. Interestingly, most of the suggestions on the portal came for individuals from Maharashtra followed by those from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana.
"Six of the 10 Padma aspirants in 2018, who received the highest number of recommendations on the ministry of home affairs portal, were from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. 'Factly', a city-based data research organisation, alleged that thousands of recommendations for each person appear to be a coordinated campaign where some citizens had recommended the names of certain aspirants multiple times. Interestingly, none of them, who received the highest nominations, got Padmas.

Shailesh Gandhi, the chief information commissioner for RTI Act, describes the history and scope of the Act and outlined the provisions, and even elaborated on the proper format and procedure for citizens to seek information. he argued that public-private partnerships should come under the RTI Act. "A lot of public assets will be shifted to these PPPs soon, so these should be covered by the RTI. Otherwise, it will be like a fraud, when public resources are privatised without anybody's consent," Mr Gandhi said.

Shailesh Gandhi, the chief information commissioner for RTI Act, describes the history and scope of the Act and outlined the provisions, and even elaborated on the proper format and procedure for citizens to seek information. he argued that public-private partnerships should come under the RTI Act. "A lot of public assets will be shifted to these PPPs soon, so these should be covered by the RTI. Otherwise, it will be like a fraud, when public resources are privatised without anybody's consent," Mr Gandhi said.
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Ideal for those who would like to understand the act from the basics and learn how to file RTI applications. After the first hour, you can actually file your RTI applications at the seminar itself and send them off.

Ideal for those who would like to understand the act from the basics and learn how to file RTI applications. After the first hour, you can actually file your RTI applications at the seminar itself and send them off.
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Shailesh Gandhi is a graduate in Civil Engineering from IIT Bombay. He was a first generation entrepreneur in plastic packaging and was CMD of Clear Plastics Ltd. At the end of the 90s, Mr Gandhi began to devote a considerable amount of time to civil society issues. He evangalised the use of RTI and tirelessly conducted RTI workshops. He was conferred the Nani Palkhivala Memorial Award for civil liberties in 2008. In the same year, he became the Central Information Commissioner for Right to Information.

Shailesh Gandhi is a graduate in Civil Engineering from IIT Bombay. He was a first generation entrepreneur in plastic packaging and was CMD of Clear Plastics Ltd. At the end of the 90s, Mr Gandhi began to devote a considerable amount of time to civil society issues. He evangalised the use of RTI and tirelessly conducted RTI workshops. He was conferred the Nani Palkhivala Memorial Award for civil liberties in 2008. In the same year, he became the Central Information Commissioner for Right to Information.
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Walk The Talk: Subhash Chandra Agarwal is a known personality for readers of newspapers for his 'Letters to Editors' taking up causes of national and public interest by writing to newspapers and concerned authorities. His art of using RTI Act as a tool to plug loopholes and corruption in system, is being keenly observed in judicial, legislative and bureaucratic circles. Not only Supreme Court judges declared their assets and wealth on website as an after-effect of his much talked-about RTI petition, Delhi High Court upheld Subhash Agarwal's plea for Chief Justice of India being under purview of RTI Act. On Walk The Talk, he talks about his struggle for justice and his experiences in reforming the authorities through the power of RTI.
Read the source https://www.ndtv.com/video/shows/walk-the-talk/walk-the-talk-with-rti-activist-subhash-agarwal-279412

Walk The Talk: Subhash Chandra Agarwal is a known personality for readers of newspapers for his 'Letters to Editors' taking up causes of national and public interest by writing to newspapers and concerned authorities. His art of using RTI Act as a tool to plug loopholes and corruption in system, is being keenly observed in judicial, legislative and bureaucratic circles. Not only Supreme Court judges declared their assets and wealth on website as an after-effect of his much talked-about RTI petition, Delhi High Court upheld Subhash Agarwal's plea for Chief Justice of India being under purview of RTI Act. On Walk The Talk, he talks about his struggle for justice and his experiences in reforming the authorities through the power of RTI.
Read the source https://www.ndtv.com/video/shows/walk-the-talk/walk-the-talk-with-rti-activist-subhash-agarwal-279412
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Successful activism requires the use of multiple acts and strategies to achieve the goal of obtaining relevant information quickly and using it for the good of society. That was the message from Anil Galgali, an RTI activist whose prolific work, using information gleaned from government

Successful activism requires the use of multiple acts and strategies to achieve the goal of obtaining relevant information quickly and using it for the good of society. That was the message from Anil Galgali, an RTI activist whose prolific work, using information gleaned from government
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